Many modern pieces of household equipment come with a remote control. This allows a user to control them from a convenient location. However, as the user purchases additional appliances, this can result in them acquiring many remote controls, each directed to a specific piece of equipment. For instance, there may be a separate remote control for a television, a DVD player, a stereo, a pay television box and other appliances.
Furthermore, many modern remote controls provide a large number of functions. Although this provides greater control to the user, it sometimes causes the remote control to become both complicated and confusing.
The compounded effect of having a large number of remote controls, each with a large number of functions, substantially diminishes the convenience provided by the remote controls themselves. One existing solution is a “universal” remote control—a single remote control which can control multiple devices. A single universal remote can be used to replace a number of other remote controls.
The current state of the art can be broadly grouped into three generations of remote control technology, which are depicted in FIGS. 2a through 2c. First generation remote controls contain the full control codes for one appliance and occasionally partial control codes for a second. For example a TV remote control may also have a few commonly used functions for a DVD player. The control codes are fixed and installed by the manufacturer in the factory. The communications medium is usually infrared (there are some RF systems) and provides a one way only channel from the controller to the appliance. Second generation remote controls can contain the control codes for many appliances. The control codes are either installed by the manufacturer at the factory or can be programmed later by the user.
Programming is accomplished by the user downloading appropriate control codes from a server on the Internet to a computer and then software on the computer installing the codes to the remote control. The communications medium is usually infrared and provides a one way only channel from the controller to the appliance.
Furthermore the programming situation for the user is further complicated for those programmable universal remotes that are able to control several devices in pre-programmed ‘macro’ sequences. For example a sequence named “Play DVD” could be created that turns on the DVD player and the TV, changes the TV to the correct AV input for the DVD and starts the DVD playing.
Third generation remote controls are very similar to the second generation but include a learning capability where they are able to ‘learn’ the control codes emitted from other remote controls. The communications medium is usually infrared and provides a one way only channel from the controller to the appliance.
A new remote control technology known as RF4CE is emerging. This technology improves the current state of the art in a number of ways. Firstly it replaces the infrared system with a radio frequency system that is able to penetrate through walls and carry over greater distances. Secondly, it implements a standard control profile known as CERC that includes control codes for many common audio visual appliances. An industry alliance of consumer equipment manufactures are planning to offer appliances that conform to this standard profile. This promises a basic level of interoperability between a remote control made by one manufacturer and appliances made by another.
However the solution provided by RF4CE is still far from perfect. RF4CE uses a fixed profile system where all parties that implement a profile must agree on what features and functions are to be provided by it. For a device to be certified it must implement a profile fully. This presents many problems for manufactures.
The problems begin when the manufacturers have to agree on what functions should be included in the standard profile and which should not. Any functions that are not included in the standard profile must be put in to a vendor specific profile. For those devices that only implement the standard profile there is little or no differentiation between one manufacturer's product and the next. For those that implement a vendor specific profile in addition to the standard profile, the remote control from another vendor will not be able to issue the vendor specific command set, which is a poor situation for the user.
For a standard profile to be useful it must have a reasonably comprehensive set of commands. This presents a problem for those manufactures that want to make a low cost product. In order to drive cost down they need to implement only a small number of features, however if they do this their product cannot be certified as it will not implement all the features in the standard profile.
Furthermore, when a remote that implements the standard profile is used, the low cost device will not implement all the standard features and hence not all function on the remote will work, which is annoying for the user. In effect these RF4CE remote controls are an improved second-generation technology.
Due to the limitations of the present remote control technology, the usage of remote controls is generally restricted to localised situations, i.e. the remote control remains in the same location as the appliances it controls. Users of present remote controls do not take them away from the location containing the appliances they can control because the remote control would not be in a position to control ‘foreign’ appliances unless it was reprogrammed.
Furthermore, some new devices such as popular media players have external accessories that they are able to couple with. For example the iPod can dock with many types of external accessories that are designed specifically for it such as powerful HiFi units, portable ghetto blasters, clock radio units and the like. However the problem for consumers and manufactures is that Apple tightly controls the docking interface that uses proprietary technology and is encumbered by a mechanical connector which does not facilitate remote operation.
Using such an arrangement is inflexible and requires a wired connection between controller and device or a plug-in dongle to provide wireless communication technology appropriate for remote control and moreover, the user is required to find then download software applications to make it all work.
Finally, devices that currently do not have remote controls (e.g. washing machines, dryers, ovens, lights, power points and the like) and new devices that do not exist now but will be created in the future, will benefit greatly from the ability to be controlled by and interact with a truly universal controller and for the control interface to automatically configure itself for the new appliance and to be easily extensible by the manufacturer and customizable by the user without modification to the software or hardware of the controller or the device.
It is then an object of the present invention to reduce or ameliorate one or more of the problems and disadvantages described above and to advance the state of the art with respect to the interchange and control of information or operation between a controller and one or more electronically controllable devices.